Intuition of the Instant (Studies in Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy)

I wrestled with this Angel paragraph by paragraph...assertion by assertion. I continue to wrestle with this Angel. It is brilliant and confounding and brilliant by turns. But even more than astonishing to me was Appendix A..."Poetic Instant and Metaphysical Instant"...included as a short but related supplement at the end of the main text. It begins: "Poetry is instant metaphysics." You had me right there. All too often the truly serious thought around the world of contemporary arts is placed in danger by the overpowering presence of the subject of the Artist. Here you have the subject of the Arts used in relationship to the M word...Metaphysics. In the Introduction to "The Poetics of Space" he uses and even more frightenting word...Ontology. He is working with and in and beyond these traditions of thought that extend back to Plato and Aristotle with countless twists and turn from then to now. And yet the world of the Arts insists on ignoring this dialogue in favor of a constant string of personal interpretations that appropriate these ideas for personal use only. Bachelard is more than that. It is Metaphysics. It is Ontology. It is Phenomenology. He says as much quite plainly. Read it for yourself. You will not be disapointed.

Bachelard's commentary on Bergson is highly illuminating

waited 25 years for this book to be translated into english.